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Football fever hits Berne

The streets in the old town of Berne were turned into a sea of
orange once again on Friday when thousands of Netherlands fans
descended on the city for their game against France. And after an
impressive 4-1 win secured them a place in the quarter-finals, the
Dutch party promises to continue into the night.

Trains arriving from other Swiss cities, including Lausanne
and Fribourg, were packed with football fans. Besides the Dutch,
Swiss fans also turned up to cheer on the French or Dutch teams,
wearing their respective jerseys and colours. Together, they
provided a memorable atmosphere.

Oranje supporter Nick Withag, who travelled from the
Netherlands with 15 friends, said: "The atmosphere has been
fantastic. there has been no violence whatsoever in the two days I
have been here."

He said his group had made the journey even though they did not
have tickets for the stadium, happy to watch the match at a big
screen in town. "It is a once in a lifetime experience,"
he said.

For Dmitri Jaeken, a Belgian, it was the excitement of watching
the contest on a big screen downtown with the masses that made him
come to Berne. "It's more fun watching it here. The
atmosphere is better, look at these people here, you can walk
around, dance, sing," said the Flemish-speaker, who lives near
the Belgian-Dutch border. With Belgian not in the finals, Jaeken is
hoping the Dutch can triumph.

Netherlands fans were singing 'Engelaar, superstar' in
honour of Twente midfielder Orlando Engelaar during the match, and
the entire old town erupted in cheers and orange confetti with each
Dutch goals.

Some French fans also travelled in to cheer on their team in the
host country, but they had only a Thierry Henry consolation to warm
their spirits. Nadir Kaced, who lives in Lyon, said he took a day
off with his friend to drive five hours to the Swiss capital. He
was making the long drive back at the end of the game.

"I came for the ambiance, there's no chance of getting
a ticket, but it's just for the festival, and it has been
great," he said.